War Of Egypt II • The Persians

Chapter 16: The First Path

   "I liked her," Atenosis blurted out, clutching at Ahmes' full attention.

    The god's gold brown eyes widened, "you what?!"

   "Not in that way brother," Atenosis replied quietly and proceeded to explain how he found the girl interesting. He would agree with his brother that the girl was clever, skillful and pretty. It was her high intelligence that intrigued Atenosis, who knew well she was not of the royal Nubian family of gods, but carried herself the way royals do. In a way he was congratulating his brother for noticing the same things he did. That did not last for long when he touched on the subject of her departure and learned she was betrothed to a wind god. Of course that spun a string of ill-mannered jokes about wind gods but anything to take Ahmes' mind off his sad state would work right now.

    When asked what he should do, Atenosis merely shrugged and looked away, finding more interest in the walls. The god ran his hands up and down his biceps, gripping the hard stretches of muscle. Turning to Ahmes, he could see his brother was waiting for an answer he could not possibly deliver or make up; what could he possibly say. Besides, he was Atenosis, god of the Underworld and successor of Anubis, asking him for relationship advice especially one that was lopsided was like asking a swine what it was like to be cow. The pig was a pig, not a cow! Atenosis did not know what it was about, he doubted he would ever get the chance to experience it.

    After a while he turned his back to his brother and went to the chamber entrance. There he lingered for a while, tracing his fingers along the smooth grey stone walls. He did not have anything to say but he wanted to help in any way possible he could. Atenosis tilted his head over his shoulder but did not look at the other boy.

   "Ahmes?"

   "Yes?"

   "You know what you want, if there is a chance...go after her." Atenosis nodded and walked out, "before it is too late."

    The next morning, Ahmes got up and his thought immediately went to the Drug his father locked up in the underground chambers. He went out of bed and prepared himself for the day ahead with a shower in the adjacent bathing area. When he dressed, he realized he could not go see the Drug without his father's permission, without Kha's permission. It was an assumption based off how angry Kha was with him the previous day. So Ahmes went directly to Kha and Ametis' room. At first he knocked on the marble walls, but no reply came back, and the room itself was unusually silent. Ahmes lifted his hands and pulled away at the black curtains that covered the entrance to the room. He instantly regretted it.

   "Get out!" Kha growled, obviously wide awake. The god had been watching his love sleeping in his arms and there was nothing wrong with it, but the last thing he wanted was for his unusually nosey son to see him in such a way. The darkness that Kha willingly accepted back had been clawing at him for so long that when he finally let it in, it was out of control. He knew it. He did not mean to snap so rudely to his son but it just came out like an uncontrollable avalanche of rocks. Kha also knew some of the anger was from when he consumed it all, the previous day, and refused to blow up in font of Ahmes.

    Ahmes quickly averted his eyes to the ceiling and back peddled out the entrance, the black curtains falling over his head once more to block his view. "Sorry! You never said anything."

   "Silence is not a substitute for permission. Go away Ahmes."

   "Okay!" Ahmes shouted and slunk down the corridor.

    Ametis was still asleep, even the Kha's howling did not wake her. At first it was beautiful and peaceful to see her sleep in such a way—free of her burdens. But as Kha went on looking, he had the urge to wake her, to know that she was at least breathing and alive. He ran the length of his index and middle finger down Ametis' face, stalling by her lips and feeling any whisper of air that escaped her sacred lungs. He chuckled as her lips parted and slowly captured the tip of his index finger into her mouth. Ametis smiled and opened her eyes to look up at him.